Postnatal Lung Development: Mechanisms of Molecular and Vascular Development

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目标是增加学术研究人员的社区，他们有动力和能力进行假设驱动的研究，以解决肺部疾病的问题，并在我们的中心内专门创建一个新的研究重点，集中在发育中的肺的生物学上。这一目标将通过招募和支持一位新的独立调查员Cristina Alvira博士来实现。Cristina Alvira博士将以本提案概述的方式进行。Alvira博士的招聘将使斯坦福大学卓越肺生物学中心的核心中心得以发展，以开展多学科的生物医学研究，阐明指导肺泡发育的分子机制。该核心中心将强调三个基本的科学目标：(i)识别允许肺发育在囊泡和肺泡阶段之间过渡的信号通路；（ii）探索出生后血管和肺泡发育之间的相互作用；（iii）确定早期肺泡化破坏对未来肺生长和功能的长期影响。最近的证据已经支持了这样一种观点，即在肺发育的这一关键窗口期的损伤可能代表了成人疾病的童年先例，这种损伤落在易感宿主身上，并导致肺部疾病的发展，如特发性肺纤维化、肺动脉高压、间质性肺疾病、哮喘或肺气肿。因此，识别促进或破坏肺泡发育的因素可能很容易转化为新型治疗方法的开发，这种治疗方法可能适用于影响儿童和成人的多种肺部疾病。代表众多科学学科的资深教师小组将有助于提高她新兴研究项目的深度和范围，并进一步增加她继续取得学术成功的可能性。此外，来自肺生物学卓越中心，儿科部门和斯坦福大学医学院的广泛资源将随时为Alvira博士提供，以证明该机构对这位值得的候选人的支持。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the present proposal is increase the community of academic researchers motivated and capable of carrying out hypothesis-driven research to address questions in pulmonary diseases, and to specifically create a new research focus within our Center, concentrated on the biology of the developing lung. The goal will be achieved by the recruitment and support of a newly independent investigator, Dr. Cristina Alvira, in the manner outlined by this proposal. The recruitment of Dr. Alvira will allow for the development of a Core Center within the Center for Excellence in Pulmonary Biology at Stanford University to conduct multidisciplinary, biomedical research to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that direct alveolar development. This Core Center will emphasize three fundamental scientific goals: (i) identification of the signaling pathways that allow for the transition between the sacular and alveolar stages of lung development; (ii) exploration of the interplay between postnatal vascular and alveolar development; and (iii) determination of the long-term implications of early disruption of alveolarization on future lung growth and function. Recent evidence already supports the notion that injury during this critical window of lung development may represent the childhood antecedent of adult disease, with such insults falling upon susceptible hosts, and resulting in the development of pulmonary diseases such idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, interstitial lung disease, asthma or emphysema. Therefore, identification of factors that either promote or disrupt alveolar development might be readily translated into the development of novel therapeutics with potential applicability to numerous forms of lung disease affecting both children and adults. A panel of senior faculty, representing a plethora of scientific disciplines, will serve to enhance the depth and scope of her emerging research program, and further increase the likelihood of her continued academic success. Furthermore, extensive resources from the Center for Excellence in Pulmonary Biology, the Department of Pediatrics, and Stanford University School of Medicine as a whole will be readily available to Dr. Alvira as a testament to the Institutional support for this deserving candidate.